Princeton wants ‘fairness equity’ in state school aid

For more than one hour Monday night, Princeton selectmen and advisory board members listened to school superintendent Darryll McCall’s presentation on the proposed FY2015 school budget. He is making the rounds of all five towns as the school district prepares its budget for May annual town meeting voters.

Princeton officials had a few questions and comments during the narrative, and had an overall positive response to the $81.3 million proposal, which is a 1.4 percent increase over this year’s $80.2 million spending plan.

The towns’ minimum local contributions to the school budget next year will increase overall by 2.1 percent, with four towns increasing from 2.1 to 3.1 percent and Princeton decreasing by .4 percent. Total assessments for the five towns (excluding debt payments) will increase by 3.1 percent for Holden, 4.3 percent for Paxton, 3.8 percent for Rutland and 3.0 percent for Sterling. Princeton’s will decrease by .4 percent, which was good news for Princeton officials.

McCall said Thomas Prince is a Level 1 school by state standards, a goal of all the schools in the district. In general, class sizes are “excellent” in Princeton, he said. The Department of Education is excited about Thomas Prince’s STEAM program focusing on arts and sciences, and the district has funds this spring to beef up the school’s technology.

Then McCall got to the “Revenue” section of his presentation.

Because the state considers Princeton a wealthy community, it does not provide Chapter 70 school aid to Princeton to a level comparable to the other four towns. As a result, Princeton is assessed almost $8,700 in per-pupil costs where the district average is $5,500.

“This is where it’s not fair,” said selectman Stan Moss, adding that the lack of Chapter 70 aid is hurting the town because its school assessments take real estate tax revenue needed to fund other town departments and programs.

“We’re aware of it,” said district business and finance director Joseph Scanlon. “The state considers Princeton a wealthy district.”

“The situation is out of our control,” said McCall. The state formula – it isn’t fair. We get it, but we have to live with it... it’s out of our domain.”

“We’re paying more than high retail,” said Moss.

“We’re paying more than Wellesley and Weston,” said an advisory board member.

Moss said last year Princeton paid 99.5 percent of the state-calculated minimum school budget, and this year is calculated to pay 102 percent. The state’s “fairness target” is 82.5 percent, he said, which Princeton came closest to in FY2010.

“You should be thinking of fairness,” Moss said. “We’d ask you to help support us in getting fairness equity.”

School committee rep Robert Imber said there have been a lot of conversations with State Rep. Kim Ferguson and State Senator Stephen Brewer, and last year the more equitable governor’s budget was the result of those conversations, “but the legislature’s budget cut all that.”

McCall said the Wachusett District’s $10,900 per-pupil spending puts it “basically, the third from the bottom of the barrel in regional spending, 35th of the 38 districts.”

Scanlon said the district has sent a letter urging the House and Senate to reach a budget without the drastic changes seen from the governor’s budget last year.

“Our job is not to lobby for the town of Princeton,” Scanlon said. “It’s up to [McCall] and the school committee to decide if they want to make a statement.”